What happened
During a flight from Vientiane to Saigon, an aircraft was cruising at 11,000 feet along the G67 airway. While positioned over PE5, the crew transmitted their location to Air Traffic Control before all communication with the plane ceased. Following the loss of contact, the aircraft entered a spiral descent and impacted the ground in a mountainous area situated approximately 25 km southwest of Pleiku.
The impact resulted in the total destruction of the airframe. There were 26 fatalities among the occupants, including a Swiss national who was leading Red Cross medical operations within Vietnam.
Findings
Official investigations concluded that the primary reason for the crash was that the aircraft was struck by a surface-to-air missile.